I can always count on the folks at Sifex to deliver a few indulgent hours of day dreaming about moving to France. This time around it's a château in Indre that's captured my attention. Indre is at the very heart of the country, and just about 2.5 hours from Paris... not exactly close, but close enough! The house, which is surrounded by a moat, sits on nearly 50 acres of parkland (partly wooded, partly cleared), and once had formal gardens. It was built in the 16th century by the same architect who built Chambord, and retains many original features (like fireplaces, ceiling decorations, staircases, and parquetry floors) that are classified as historical monuments.The outbuildings, and the parkland itself, are classified, making this one very special restoration project. The price is available upon request, but falls in the $3.8-5.2 range. Were it to be mine, my very first call would be to designer Timothy Corrigan!
First or ground floor
Entrance hall with staircase; dining room with monumental fireplace; large larder; service staircase; 2 large kitchens, one with monumental fireplace; large salon with armorial fireplace decoration; small salon; boudoir; library; second library on upper ground floor; bedroom with fireplace; bathroom and dressing room; small bedroom.
Second floor
Large landing; gallery leading to 7 principal en suite bedrooms.
Third floor
Three large rooms with tommette, or terracotta, tiled floors; 6 additional bedrooms.
Outbuildings
Two Mansart-designed pavilions (each 3,000 square feet), one a guest house and one stables, with horse stalls and boxes, as well as garages and workshops.
A 2 bedroom/1 bath caretaker's house with a full kitchen and sitting room.
An orangery and a 900-square-foot garden house.
Needs...
Bathrooms need to be redone, as do the heating and wiring systems.
Projected costs for repairs to roof and fireplaces (to bring up to standard): about $2.1
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